Religious exemptions won’t protect our children

Posted
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 1:00 pm

To the Editor:

Some of the most horrific consequences of same-sex marriage being passed in Massachusetts have been the effects in their public schools.

Massachusetts father David Parker tried to opt his five-year-old kindergartener son out of his class where a book seeking to normalize same-sex “marriage” and homosexual romance in the minds of very young children, “King and King,” was being promoted. The school not only refused this father’s request but also ended up having him arrested.

David Parker said in an interview with Family Research Council: “One of the reasons they did is they said, ‘Same sex “marriage” is legal in Massachusetts, therefore we can broach it any time with your child.’” And when they are putting forward that it’s equal, they’re putting forward that it’s a morally equal alternative and affirming it in the minds of children. Now these are young, impressionable children, and they know very well that there are many parents that do not hold these beliefs. But irrespective of that, in an intolerant manner, and in an aggressive manner, they are putting forward that we as parents do not even have the right to know what they are saying to our children.

Look for the same to happen here in Rhode Island if the Senate Judiciary Committee votes to send the same-sex marriage bill out of committee and onto the Senate floor. No amount of religious exemption protections will be able to protect our children from this type of indoctrination in our public schools.

Comments

Spreading that hyperbole and bigoted propganda far and wide, aren't you Kara? God forbid some people's children find out that gay families exist, because...well...they do. Despite your hysterical attempts to appeal to the anti-gay out there, your efforts will fail. Civil marriage equality is coming, whether you like it or not, because to deny gays that right is unConstitutional.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Reneeville

Your point Kara closely defines why many who desire to instill virtues and morals have pulled their children from these public "indoctrination" schools. Look at the devolution of the Department of Education over the last 4 decades after removing "prayer" from the classroom. The "anything goes" progressive march of paganism may play out on Earth but has no place in Heaven.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dave64

Indoctrination into what, exactly? That gay people exist, create families, and raise children? If living in denial and hating on people different than you are the rquirement for getting into heaven, I'll pass...

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

APAGAN

As a Pagan I have to say YOUR FULL of Crap Reneeville it's not an Any thing goes progressive march of Paganism. and if I have to capatileize THE C in Christain then you can at least show respect when your talking your ignorent crap. The pagan Faith has NO PROTECTION in this Nation yet here you are with your 3rd grade Brain trying to Blame others When all you had to do was MAKE A DIFFRENCE your self but you like most more then likely sat at home and prayed for your FAKE GOD OF MURDERES. TO STOP OR THE GAYS AS YOU PEOPLE SAY. YOU'RE OWN INDOCTRINATION IS SHOWING.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

JohnStark

Kara, you must understand the ground rules. Anyone who expresses ANY view that questions the wisdom of homosexual marriage (about which I remain ambivalent) is a "hater!!", "bigot!!", "homophobe", "intolerant", etc, etc. Better to stifle debate, you see, than to engage it. Heather might, indeed, have "two mommies", or three daddies, or the current rage: three mommies and two daddies. But such arrangements do not equate to a marriage, nor are they desirable.

APAGAN: It might be time to seek decaf and/or non-alcoholic beer, but certainly one of the many remedial English classes taught at CCRI these days for Warwick's public high school graduates.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dave64

John Stark, you, Kara, and the rest, can believe whatever clap-trap you want. It's not what you believe that gets you labled a hater, bigot, or homophobe. It's using those beliefs to try to legally curtail the civil rights of your chosen disfavored group of people that earns you those titles. This debate has been going on for years, and what it has proven is that the opposition has come up empty time and again with any compelling reasons to deny gay couples civil marriage. Your pronouncement that families led by gay couples are not marriages or are undesirable in some way are just unfounded assertions on your part.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dave64

On a happier note, the Senate Judiciary Commitee sent the House marriage equality bill to the Senate floor for a vote tomorrow. We could have marriage equality in RI very soon!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Paul_Auger

John as usual you type a lot of letters, but you say very little. You and Kara love to act as if you are victims, victims of the make believe war on religion. Both of you like to make baseless claims, or claims for which you offer little or no documentation So when Kara tell the horror tale of the father getting arrested, she offers no original documentation to go with it, police reports for example. She also fails to give us an account of his arrest. That might be telling. I don’t know about this case, but if it is true, it makes me wonder WHY he was arrested. To hear Kara tell it she makes it sound as if he was arrested because of his religious convictions, but that might not be the case. What was taking place when the cops slapped the cuffs on him? Was he calmly sharing his concerns, or was he acting in an erratic, threatening, or dangerous manner? Was he arrested for his convictions, or because he was a danger to himself and others? Like I said I don’t know, but these are questions worth exploring and I am sure the answers would but the story in an interesting context.

Keep in mind Kara and her husband Chris are experts at getting arrested for disrupting public meetings, disorderly conduct and other valid charges. However Chris and Kara are skilled at making it seem as if these arrests are not based on their behavior or breaking the law, but rather their religious beliefs. A prime example of this has to do with a political debate Chris was invited to take part in. All participants of the debate were told beforehand that NO ONE could bring any props on stage; signs, charts, models and the like were prohibited, FOR ALL DEBATERS. Chris was well aware of this, just as all members of the panel were. Yet, Chris chose to violate this contract and bring a statue of the Virgin Mary on stage. When he was asked to remove it based on the “no prop” rule, which he was well aware of, he made such a fuss that he held up the start of the debate for an hour. Not only does the show that Chris thinks his religious beliefs put him above the rules, but to hear him tell the story he was ejected from the meeting because of his religious convictions, not because he violated and agreement he willingly and knowingly entered into. He made it sound like he was a victim of the so called war on religion, rather than a victim of his own conduct.

I recount that event for two reasons. First it is a great illustration of what I was pointing out about the priest. He may have been arrested, but that arrest may have been based on valid reasons, not his theology. Second the account of the “statute capper” shows that Chris and Kara have a pattern of making it look like they are victims of religious discrimination when they are REALLY victims of their own behavior.

Furthermore Kara offers no evidence of the harm she claims will come to children. Just saying there is harm does not mistake it true. How about some empirical data folks?

Finally John to address your point “Kara, you must understand the ground rules. Anyone who expresses ANY view that questions the wisdom of homosexual marriage (about which I remain ambivalent) is a "hater!!", "bigot!!", "homophobe", "intolerant", etc, etc. ” No, a well formed augment based on empirical evidence, with documentation will get you more respect than the incoherent babblings of Kara’s and her ilk above .The other part of entering a dialog is understanding that your points can and will be challenged, and the challenging of your IDEAS are not an attack on you as a person

. Unfortunately people from Kara’s camp don’t understand this. They see any exploration of their ideas as a threat to them rather than the way the “free market place of ideas work” your comment above is evidence of your lack of understanding of this process as well.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Dave64

On the happiest note of all, marriage equality is all but a done deal here now. The Senate came through! Good times!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

JohnStark

Dave/Paul/Whoever: Point of clarifcation: I really don't care what willing adults do to/with one another. For the State to grant it's Blessing is another matter. I have no reason to believe that RI's electorate would disapprove of homosexual "marriage". And if so, why not a mother, three fathers, and a peguin? Oops, sorry, is that 'hateful' from someone who attended their sister's "commtitment ceremony"?

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Dave64

FYI: John, the state gives it's blessing to many things some people don't agree with. That doesn't give those people the right to deny others their civil rights. Your clumsy reference to multiple partner and beastial relationships is noted and rejected. "commitment ceremony" Sounds like you look down your nose at your sister's relationship with her partner as inferior to yours. Sad...

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